Targets: upper body strength (chest, shoulders, arms)
AFL footballers might jokingly refer to it as doing 'beach weights', but there's no denying that bench press exercises are a vital part of training at the elite level.
Upper body strength is critical, especially for key-position types, and it doesn't hurt that a bi-product of putting in some hard time on the bench is a chiselled torso worthy of the odd calendar or two.
Look no further than the numbers who congregate around the bench press at gyms to understand it's an exercise that forms the cornerstone of many fitness regimes.
Bench pressing is regarded as an excellent all-rounder with its focus on the muscles of the chest (pectorals), but also the supporting muscles of the shoulder and arms (triceps).
How the pros fare
For those who have stared up at the ceiling through a sheen of sweat, struggling to push the unforgiving load off your chest, have you ever wondered how an AFL player gets the results he does?
North Melbourne director of sports science Peter Mulkearns agrees the exercise is a staple of any AFL fitness program, but says the goal isn't to have players lift as much as humanly possible.
"Bench press is often used as a testing tool for the physical parameters of upper body strength," Mulkearns, a 12-year industry veteran, says.
"Most clubs shy away from a traditional one repetition maximum test as there is an injury risk factor associated, and have developed protocols such as four-rep maximum.
"An average weight lifted would be between 100kg and 130kg, but the biggest lift I've seen an AFL player complete is 180kg."
Players' weights programs have, of course, evolved with the move to full professionalism with the twice weekly, three-hour lifting sessions of yesteryear giving way to shorter but more frequent sessions usually lasting about an hour.
As Mulkearns asserts, even the humble bench press has had to move with the times. But another industry insider jokingly proclaims that the relationship between a player's ego and the amount he can lift will always remain - and lead to some intense battles on the bench.
If you are confident you have the AFL's biggest body-building beasts covered then consider what current world record holder Ryan Kennelly gets up to.
The 188cm American trains 10 times a week with up to eight of those sessions concentrating specifically on the bench press.
That allowed him to lift a whopping 487.61kg at a meeting in November 2008.
The trade-off? Kennelly's massive frame would keep him from getting around the park like our lads can.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
